Greatest Man
by fairyMei33
Summary: Songfic of Reba McEntire's song "The Greatest Man I never Knew" Sad but sweet.
1. Default Chapter

_The Greatest Man I never knew,_

_Lived just down the hall,_

Akane heard a shout from the bedroom that Ranma and his father shared. She assumed the fat panda had thrown him out the window again. Some training…

_And every day we said 'Hello',_

_But never touched at all._

A sopping wet girl with red hair trudged into the room, pouting and waiting for breakfast. Akane made sure not to have eye contact past an initial 'morning'. After breakfast, Ranma would take a bath and they'd walk to school. Akane walking alone as Ranma took the fenceline to school.

_He was in His paper,_

_I was in my room._

Ranma practiced in the dojo even more than Akane, ignoring even his homework to perfect moves Akane would have thought impossible. Most of the time she'd leave him to do her own schoolwork in her bedroom.

_How was I to know He thought_

_I hung the moon?_

Every so often, the routine would change with some maniac coming to do one of five things. 1) Kill Ranma. 2) Marry Ranma. 3) Marry Akane. 4) Normally kidnapping accompanied #3. 4) Kill Akane. Sometimes there were combinations of these, but, no matter what happened, Ranma always made sure Akane was safe. Even going so far as to defeat a god to protect her.

He watched over her. Like a guardian angel. To his eyes, Akane glowed with a radiance no other showed.

_The Greatest Man I never knew_

_Came home late every night_

With all the chaos around Ranmas' life, he was constantly in fights. Rather than bring them home with him, he was often gone long into the nights to make sure no fights followed him home. When he did, he was always exhausted.

_He never had too much to say,_

_Too much was on His mind_

With so many threats to both himself and Akane, he was constantly practicing on improving himself. Mostly his fighting styles.

_I never really knew Him,_

_And now it seems so sad…_

Akane spent as much time as possible away from him. Going to movies with friends, shopping whenever the whim took her, laughing with her classmates. Leaving him to practice relentlessly. Alone.

_Everything He gave to us_

_Took all He had._

The peace the Tendo family experienced was always a gift of his struggles to protect them, taking injury after injury to save everyone he knew, not only from various threats, but from fighting amongst themselves as well.

_And the days turned into years,_

_And the memories to black and white._

Ranma fought every day, each blurring from one to the next, until he could no longer remember which fight he had when and with whom. Which normally triggered more fights around him.

_He grew cold like and old winter wind_

_Blowing across my life._

Doing nothing but fighting, day after day, year after year, takes its toll on a person, no matter how proud they are of their abilities. It was inevitable Ranma would become detached from ordinary life. Forever out of step from the rest of the world. Even from Akane.

_The Greatest Words I never heard,_

_I guess I'll never hear._

He never told her. Not really. During a fight or while she was dying really don't count because there isn't intent in the words. Akane needed the intent behind those three words like she needed air.

_The Man I thought could never die,_

_Has been dead almost a year._

She'd never get it though. Ranma had died like he'd live. Dying to protect Akane. Giving his everything like he'd done for years. His time, his tears, his sweat, his blood….

_He was good at business,_

_But there was business left to do._

His life was fighting. It was his business. It happened all throughout his life. It was the one thing he was good at. But there was one other thing he'd needed to do.

_He never said He loved me._

_Guess He thought I knew._

His smile haunted her memory. A little smirk playing on his lips, emotions he'd never voice filling his eyes. He didn't need words. His look said it all. And then, He'd gone off to defend His love and give His life for a love He knew He'd never know.

His stone stood solitary. Well away from the rest of the markers. His name stood out on the black stone that was His grave. An inscription below it, haunting in the chaos that had been His life.

_**May Peace Hold Him In Stillness**_

_**May Light Hold Him In Darkness**_

**_May Love Hold Him In Tenderness_**


	2. The preceding chapter Disclaimer

The Preceding chapter is in no way an indication of ownership of the Ranma ½ series or characters, or the song "The Greatest Man" by Reba MacEntire. These are owned by the companies responsible for their creation.


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